Building Description Virginia and Truckee Railroad Shops, Carson City Nevada
Over-all dimensions: about 183 ft. by 312 ft.; 11 bays by 35 bays; one story; rectangular U-shape.
At the east elevation eleven large arched openings provided access for railroad equipment into the building. Except for the interval between the first and second openings at the north end, the openings are regularly spaced and form an arcade.
Piers are coursed ashlar, crowned by plain impost blocks. The voussoirs of the arches, which are semicircular, are dressed and have projecting keystones.
Each opening is closed by double wood doors. Each leaf is hung with a long strap hinge near the bottom, another below the impost, and a third one just above the impost. The upper hinge appears to permit independent operation of the top quadrant panel. These hinges are supported on heavy iron pintles embedded in the piers at joints between courses.
Each leaf has two tiers of three panels, the central one being slightly wider than the others. Above is a row of windows: two with nine lights each, with a wooden mullion between them. Very few of these openings retain either glass or muntins. Above this, in the arch, is a quadrant panel in which matched and beaded diagonal boards extend from keystone to springline.
The North and south elevations are symmetrical and similar. At the center is a large segmental arched doorway flanked by four rectangular windows; this section of the wall is terminated by pilaster strips of regular ashlar. Beyond are symmetrical sections of wall containing seven rectangular windows, terminated by pilaster strips. Next are symmetrical sections of five similar windows, and pilaster strips. At each end a short section of wall contains a wide window opening with a segmental arch, and a wide pilaster strip of regular ashlar, which extends around the corner with returns. All the window openings have a wide plain hoodmould and plain sill. Most of the openings are closed with hoards or plywood. Where window casings are visible they appear deteriorated.
The west facade consists of two similar gabled walls, each about 66 feet wide, separated by an open court. Each is divided into three sections by pilasters, the central one being somewhat narrower than the other. Each contains two rectangular windows. The windows have plain hoodmoulds with those of each pair being linked by horizontal band at their lower terminus. The pilasters have simple capitals similar to, and at the same height as, the cornice of the side walls. In the gable there is a round window.
